Sidewalk-cover.



No. 677,388. Patented July 2, I90I.

J. WAGNER. v

SIDEWALK COVER.

(Application-filed. Oct. 19, 1899.)

(No Model.)

7 they are secured and by which the slats are UNITED STATES PATENT @EETcE.

JOHN WAGNER, OF MILWAUKEE, 'WISCONSIN.

SIDEVVALK=COVER SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,388, dated July 2, 1901.

Application. filed October 19, 1899.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN WAGNER, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sidewalk-Covers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

Incities and villagesinlatitudeswhere snow and ice are formed during the winter it is desirable to temporarily cover stone and oement sidewalks with a wood cover to prevent the slipping and falling of persons traveling on these walks.

My invention relates to an improved sidewalk-cover adapted to be placed on a sidewalk and readily secured thereto and thereafter to be conveniently and quickly removable therefrom, the sidewalk being in form and construction adapted to be closely rolled up or folded together, so as to be capable of being stored away in compact form in any convenient place therefor.

The invention consists of the sidewalkcover, including means for securing it temporarily to a sidewalk, as herein shown and described, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved sidewalk-cover placed on and secured to a sidewalk, parts being broken away for convenience of illustration and a part being shown in section to exhibit interior construction. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the sidewalk-cover in connection with a fragment of a sidewalk in cross-section, on which sidewalk the cover rests. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the sidewalk-cover shown in con nection with a fragment of a sidewalk in section, exhibiting means of securing the cover to the sidewalk. Fig. 4 is an end view, in enlarged form, of two of the slats or floorpieces of the cover, with the links to which connected.

In the drawings, A represents a fragment of sidewalk, either of stone or cement, of the character that it is desirable to cover in the winter. The sidewalk-cover is constructed of wood strips or floor-pieces forming slats 5 of a common length and preferably of equal width, which slats are connected together by suitable means, forming a flexible construc- Serial No. 734,070- (No model.)

tion, whereby the cover may be rolled up or folded together for removal from the side walk. Aconvenient way for thus connecting the slats together is the means shown in the drawings, which consists of a series of rod-like links 6 6, each link being provided with an eye at each end. These links are advisably made of heavy wire, the straight body part of each link being substantially as long as the width of a slat 5 and the eyes at the extremities of the links being formed by bending the wire in a circular direction. For convenience of separating this cover into sections the eyes of the links 6 6 at one side of a slat at the edge of a section may be opened, forming hooks, as shown at 7 7 in Figs. 3 and 4. As a ready and convenient means for securing these links severally one at each end to a slat 5 the end of the slat may be sawed, forming a groove 8 in the end of the slat transversely thereof, into which groove the straight body portion of the link 6 is inserted and in which it is retained by pins 9 9 or analogous means through the furcate ends of the slat. These links thus secured in the slats, one at each end of each slat, being coupled to the links of another slat, connect them together flexibly, and other slats being similarly coupled on form the sidewalk-cover, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

For securing the sidewalk-cover temporarily to the sidewalk means are provided which advisably consist of wire hooks 1O 10 11 11. These wire hooks 10 are at the ends of the temporary sidewalk and are hinged in the eyes of the links 6 6, that project from the slat at the end of the cover, and these hooks take into eyes or loops in wire anchors 12,

which are secured to the sidewalk conveniently by being inserted in sockets out therefor in the sidewalk and in which the anchors are secured by being covered and held by cement put in the sockets, which cement when it has set about the anchors in the sockets holds them firmly in place. The hooks 11 11 are advisably made with overturned ends at both extremities, so as to be adapted to catch and hinge releasably onto the anchors 12 12, thereby forming a swinging hook adapted to catch onto the links 6 6 between slats of the cover. In this form and located at such places as are necessary the hooks 11 are adapted to hold the cover in position against lateral movement of the sidewalk and may be removed from the anchors 12 when the cover is removed from the sidewalk.

The slats 5 5 are disposed at such little distances apart as provides for the flexibility of the cover and at the same time permits rain or melting snow or ice to freely run off from their top surfaces, while they are so near together as not to permit the heel of a boot or shoe to enter the space between the slats.

What I claim as my invention is- A sidewalk-cover, comprising a series of flat wood slats disposed transversely of the length of the cover but parallel to and separated equal distances from each other, each slat being provided in each end with a medial grooveparallel with the flat faces of the slat, elongated wirerod links consisting severally of a straight body part as long as the Width of the slat and fitted in the groove in the slat and of terminal eyes, the eye at one end of the link being disposed in a plane at a right angle to the eye of the other end of the link, the links of each slat being coupled to the links of the adjacent slat flexibly, pins in the slats transversely of the furcate ends and adjacent to the links securing the links in place, hooks hinged in eyes of the links, and anchors adapted to be fixed in a sidewalk, said anchors having eyes adapted to be engaged releasably by the hooks attached to the covers.

In testimony whereof I afifiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN WAGNER. \Vitnesses:

O. T. BENEDICT, ANNA V. FAUST. 

